Figure féminine à genoux avec coupe "olumeye" ·  Nigéria, Yoruba · ID: 3048383

Description

wood, black paint, missing parts, repainted, rest.

The motif of the kneeling female figure holding a bowl in her hands is a characteristic theme of court art in Yorubaland. These figural offering bowls adorned the reception halls of many kings, especially in the Ekiti and Igbomina areas.

They were used for keeping kola nuts “obi” or other delicacies to welcome high-ranking visitors. They were also placed at shrines to receive offerings to a deity “orisa”. They are also sometimes said to have been used to hold the sacred palm nuts needed for “ifa” divination sessions.

The Ekiti call the sculpture of the kneeling woman with bowl “olumeye”, “one who knows honor”. The woman depicted is seen as a “messenger of the spirits”.

Publications

AHDRC: 0109274